For more than 25 years, CCRC’s Policy Forums have been the premier event for critical and motivating conversation around early learning and child care issues that matter most for children and families. This month, the event returns in a much grander way as a multi-day, statewide Policy Conference.
“We want to have thoughtful, intentional, and purposeful conversations to identify strategic goals and the relationships that will help move the lever to where we want to go, to turn aspirations to outcomes,” said CCRC Government Relations Director LaWanda Wesley.
The sold out event takes place January 29-30 at The Garland in North Hollywood. The event will feature critical discussions and action planning in over 15 panels and workshops featuring leaders in economic stability, health equity, partnerships, and policy and advocacy.
“There are four pillars: economic stability – looking at areas around child care reimbursement rates and guaranteed income; health equity – we’re looking at Black maternal health and housing insecurity; partnerships – we’re looking at government to nonprofit partnerships, philanthropic funding and anything that will provide us promising practices, we want to see what we can take back and implement tomorrow; and policy and advocacy – how we lift it up in terms of relationship building and thinking about the California and federal budgets,” explained Wesley.
Keynote speakers are Dr. Tamara Hunter, the Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families, and Dr. Iheoma Iruka, the Chief Research Professor in the Department of Public Policy.
Participants will enjoy a special documentary screening of Make a Circle, a film that’s a love letter to early educators and a rallying cry for a child care system in crisis.
“We want to be innovative; we also don’t want to stay stagnant. We want the relationship and cross building to happen not just within the family of CCRC, but we want to be the convener of different organizations and state and federal representatives,” said Wesley. “We feel that you will walk away changed.”
The event is sponsored by First5California, First5LA, First5 San Bernardino, Molina Healthcare, and Inland SoCal United Way.
